The Hyperdrill machine, nominated at the Advanced Manufacturing Awards

The Hyperdrill machine, jointly developed by Tekniker and Aernnova, nominated at the Advanced Manufacturing Awards as “the most disruptive technology in a production process”.

These awards go to companies in the industrial fabric that innovate and help to improve efficiency and sustainability throughout all phases in a value chain.

The nominated machine is a unique piece of industrial equipment based on laser technology designed to achieve high productivity rates when manufacturing microperforated titanium panels.

These panels have been designed for the leading edges of tail stabilisers to be fitted on future commercial aircraft. The ultimate goal is to reduce fuel consumption by means of Hybrid Laminar Flow Control (HLFC) that reduces aircraft friction.

Hyperdrill is the first high-performance laser micro-perforation machine used to manufacture HLFC panels that has been jointly designed by the German technology centre Bremer Institut Fur Angewandte Strahltechnik (BIAS) and Aernnova. By combining two complementary laser processing technologies, maximum drilling rates of 500 holes per second can be achieved and the industrial feasibility of the process can be guaranteed. The equipment can process panels measuring up to 5x2 metres.

The machine also features an inspection system that performs real-time validation of drilling dimensions and provides the customer with complete information on the results obtained.

The winning projects will be announced during the awards-giving ceremony to be held on November 15 at MetalMadrid, Composites and Robomática Madrid.

October 31 is the deadline set for votes to be sent in to support specific projects via the website of the upcoming award-giving ceremony.